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Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Anna Sofaer, Rolf M. Sinclair, LeRoy E. Doggett, 1982. Archaeoastronomy in the New World, ed. Anthony F. Aveni, Cambridge University Press: 169-186.
Argues that the Sun Dagger site also records the 18.6-year lunar cycle: at moonrise the eastern slab's shadow bisects the large spiral at the northern minor standstill and falls on its left edge at the major standstill. Describes the slabs (2 to 3 m high, about 1,000 kg each) and the spirals (9½ turns, 34 by 41 cm; 2½ turns, 9 by 13 cm).
What it's used for here
The founding statement of the lunar reading of the Sun Dagger.
Our copy
Research copy, for editors and curators. The work is the publisher's, so readers are sent to it. We keep this copy so the citation can be checked if the page changes or goes.
solsticeproject.org · fetched 27 Oct 2026Open the file
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Cited by on this site 5 records
The great houses of Chaco Canyon
MYSThe mystery article
Cite it
Sofaer, A., Sinclair, R. M., & Doggett, L. E. (1982). Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Archaeoastronomy in the New World, ed. Anthony F. Aveni, Cambridge University Press: 169-186. https://solsticeproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20-lunarfajada2028198229.pdf
@incollection{sofaer1982lunar,
author = {Sofaer, Anna and Sinclair, Rolf M. and Doggett, LeRoy E.},
title = {Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico},
booktitle = {Archaeoastronomy in the New World, ed. Anthony F. Aveni, Cambridge University Press: 169-186},
year = {1982},
url = {https://solsticeproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20-lunarfajada2028198229.pdf}
}TY - CHAP TI - Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico AU - Sofaer, Anna AU - Sinclair, Rolf M. AU - Doggett, LeRoy E. PY - 1982 JO - Archaeoastronomy in the New World, ed. Anthony F. Aveni, Cambridge University Press: 169-186 UR - https://solsticeproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20-lunarfajada2028198229.pdf ER -
Sofaer, Anna et al.. “Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.” Archaeoastronomy in the New World, ed. Anthony F. Aveni, Cambridge University Press: 169-186 (1982).